Expedition Log Antarctic Peninsula 3rd December to 15th December 2009 aboard the MV Professor Molchanov The Professor Molchanov is a former research vessel from the Institute for Hydrometeorology in Murmansk, Russia, and currently under long-term charter by Oceanwide Expeditions. She was designed and built as an ice strengthened ship in Finland and launched in 1983. Measuring 71.6 metres (236 ft) in length and 12.8 metres (42 ft) across the beam, she draws no more than 4.5 metres (15 ft) under the keel, which allows manoeuvring in relatively shallow waters. The vessel was named in honor of Russian Professor Pavil Alexandric Molchanov, a famous meteorologist who claimed fame for his invention of radiosondes and stratospheric weather balloons. He was also the first Soviet Russian to participate in a Zeppelin airship expedition to the Arctic in 1931. Born in 1893, Professor Molchanov died during the WW2. -1 - Antarctic Peninsula, 03rd to 15th December 2009, onboard Professor Molchanov With Captain – Nikolay Parfenyuk and his Russian Crew of 19 and Expedition Leader – Rolf Stange, M.Sc. (Germany) Guide/Lecturer – Christoph Gnieser, Ph.D. (Germany) Guide/Lecturer – Jan Naumann, M.Sc. (Germany) Hotel Manager – Jan de Ceuster (Belgium) Head Chef – Richard Arokiasamy (Malaysia) Sous Chef – Joe Donny Labansin (Malaysia) Ship’s Physician – Dr. Jan G. Mühring (The Netherlands) Together with 51 Antarctic explorers from Australia (5), Austria (1), Belgium (2), Germany (3), Greece (1), Hungary (1), Israel (3), Italy (1 !), Malaysia (2), The Netherlands (8), Poland (2), Portugal (1), Spain (9), Switzerland (1), U.K. of Great Britain (1), United States of America (10 !) 3rd December 2009 – Ushuaia, Argentina Position: 54°45!S, 68°30!W. Temperature: 8ºC (07:00 am) Weather: overcast with sunny spells and intermittent showers in the afternoon Ushuaia marks the end of the road of Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego and for many the beginning of once-in-a-lifetime adventure to Antarctica. By the time summer arrives, this colourful, booming frontier town of 55,000 inhabitants bustles with adventurer from all over the world. The duty-free port clearly flourishes with tourism as the mainstay but also thrives on a sizeable crab fishery and a burgeoning electronics industry. Ushuaia, (lit. “bay that penetrates to the west” in the indigenous Yaghan tongue) clearly benefits from its magnificent, although remote setting. The rugged spine of the South American Andes ends here to meet two oceans. As could be expected from such an exposed setting, the weather has the habit of changing on a whim and certainly lived up to its reputation on our inaugural expedition day. However, temperatures during the long days of the austral summer tend to be balmy providing one last respite before heading farther south to the ‘Deep Freeze’, an apt name for the Seventh continent. Most of us had spent at least one day in Ushuaia, where ‘Antarctica’ naturally tends to be the talk of town among travellers. In turn, the excitement among the participants of our The Beagle Channel -2 - Antarctic Peninsula, 03rd to 15th December 2009, onboard Professor Molchanov expedition was palpable during embarkation on the Professor Molchanov between 4 pm and 5 pm. Oceanwide staff welcomed us on the pier, led us to our cabins while the ship’s crew dealt with our luggage. With just enough time to settle in and refresh ourselves we were soon summoned to the ship’s bar for a welcome reception by our expedition leader Rolf Stange, a Geographer by training and a seasoned veteran to both polar regions. He introduced his staff of guides / lecturers, the ship’s purser as well as the talented galley team. Following a short run-down of what we could expect life aboard to be like for the next 11 days, we toasted to an eventful but safe expedition cruise. The Professor Molchanov left the pier – as scheduled – by 6 pm after taking on an Argentine pilot who would guide us eastward out of the Beagle Channel, the historically disputed political border between Chile and Argentina. The famous seaway bears the name of explorer Robert Fitzroy’s ship, on which a young man would serve, who ultimately revolutionized our view of life on earth – namely Charles Darwin. His matter- of-fact description of the spectacular channel centuries ago read “about 1" miles wide, hills on both sides above 2000’ high…scenery very retired – many glaciers, uninhabited, beryl blue, most beautiful, contrasted with snow.” It had made no mention of flagged trees along its shores, telltale signs of gale-force winds that pick up on a whim in this setting and happened to kick up just as we headed out on an easterly course. Before settling in for dinner and leisure time out on the decks, we had to cover the mandatory safety and rescue briefing – a prerequisite for any ship-borne expedition. We practiced an authentic lifeboat drill, which required us to respond to an ‘Abandon Ship’ alarm signal by gathering in the bar as muster station donning lifejackets and warm clothing. Piling into the two lifeboats was part of the overall exercise. Following this essential drill we headed straight to the restaurants for our first delectable dinner. Some weary travellers retired to their cabins right after, but many stayed out on the ship’s decks spotting the first harbingers of subantarctic wildlife: Black-browed albatrosses, kelp gulls, rock shags and even some Giant Petrels. Just before midnight most had called it a night, it would be last time that we’d experience complete darkness for over a week. Yet, not all found sleep or even rest since we soon left the comforts of Tierra del Fuego’s protective shores, passed mythical Cape Horn and headed out into the open sea. The wind had gained strength and the Professor Molchanov started rolling and pitching – the price to pay for the privilege of being granted access to Antarctica. A Cape Petrel enjoying, the stormy seas more than we did. 4th December 2009 – Into the Screaming Fifties Position: 55°45!S, 66°19!W. Temperature: 3ºC (07:30 am) Weather: overcast with good visibility, southwesterly winds (7 Beaufort) with intermittent gales Hardly anyone needed a wakeup call this morning given that the Drake Passage had lived up to its ferocious reputation tossing us around in our berths all night. Few had gotten more than just a few minutes of sleep and it didn’t come as much of a surprise that only the hardy attended breakfast. While the officers on the bridge had tried their best to reduce the pitching -3 - Antarctic Peninsula, 03rd to 15th December 2009, onboard Professor Molchanov and rolling by changing our course slightly and adjusting forward speed to a mere 6 knots, we were clearly at the whim of the forces of nature. With 450 nautical miles to go, two full sea days still laid ahead of us and even the delicious, light meals dished up by the galley team lessened the effects of motion sickness to only a small degree. Ultimately, it does take time to gain sea legs and there seem to be as many coping mechanisms as there are sufferers. While lying in one’s bunk seemed to work for some, others preferred to relax in the bar with a good book or drink. The hardiest hung out on the bridge or the rear decks bracing against the rolls and pitches. They made the best of the situation by focusing on bird watching and photography. As a result, an exciting list of sightings added up, as prolific birdlife soared on the airwaves off the Professor Molchanov’s bow. Among them were several wandering albatrosses, black-browed albatrosses, sooty shearwaters and numerous massive giant petrels. With a wingspan of over three metres and a weight of up to 11 kg, the ‘Wanderers’ outsized them all, all the while performing elegant aerobatics at phenomenal speeds that have been measured at over 85 km/h. These majestic birds –not unlike humans- have slow reproduction rates and can live to an age of 60 years. Many fall prey though at a much younger age to longline fishing practices across the Southern oceans. In fact, albatross populations have been declining in excess of over 20% as fisheries’ bycatch over most of their range within recent generations. Whale populations, in contrast, seem to be faring better these days, as whaling has largely been stopped and populations are slowly recovering after centuries of intense pursuit. It didn’t come as a surprise, that before long a few blows were spotted in the distance although a definite species identification was impossible given the rough conditions at sea. With only a few passengers daring to stay up on two legs and moving around the ship, the intended lecture program was postponed to the next day. Instead, a couple of film documentaries on Antarctic exploration at the turn of the 19th century were offered to provide at least some distraction in the afternoon. Much to our surprise, the seas started calming after our first dinner at high sea affording better sleep to most. Light-mantled Sooty Albatross and Southern Giant Petrels accompanied us across the Drake Passage. 5th December 2009 – Crossing the Antarctic Convergence and 60°S latitude Position at 08:00 AM: 59°19’S, 62°58’W. Air Temperature at 12:00 PM: -1ºC Weather: Mainly overcast with good visibility, southwesterly Force 5 winds. Shortly after midnight, largely unnoticed by those still up and about, we had slipped into the Antarctic. The change had been subtle – just a slight adjustment in the salinity and temperature of the seawater – but the new day would offer entirely new wildlife species for viewing.